Two American Samoa FBI impostors jailed

According to RNZI two American Samoan men who duped about 60 people into working for them by claiming they were FBI agents have been sentenced to seven years in jail.

In 2009, Aperaamo Levi and Alatise Fonoti concocted a scheme where they pretended to be FBI agents with financing to hire local workers to clear land for a project that was supposedly funded by the federal government.

The chief justice, Michael Kruse, says the scheme was unbelievable but was what more incredible was the number of people who responded to the defendants’ job offers.

The dozens who ended up working for the men for weeks, or even months in some cases, had been lured with offers of high pay and big bonuses, along with electronic gadgets such as DVD players and kitchen appliances.

The chief justice says this shows the subculture of desperation in a lot of people who need work.